Common Snapdragon / Psić
Antirrhinum majus
45.1618, 14.7592
Field Notes
Description:
It is an herbaceous perennial plant, growing to 0.5 - 1 m tall, rarely up to 2 m. The leaves are spirally arranged, broadly lanceolate, 1–7 cm long and 2 - 2.5 cm broad. The flowers are produced on a tall spike, each flower is 3.5-4.5 cm long, zygomorphic, with two 'lips' closing the corolla tube; wild plants have pink to purple flowers, often with yellow lips. The fruit is an ovoid capsule 10 - 14 mm diameter, containing numerous small seeds. The plants are pollinated by bumblebees, and the flowers close over the insects when they enter and deposit pollen on their bodies.
Habitat:
It is native to the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern France, and east to Turkey and Syria.
Notes:
The common name "snapdragon", originates from the flowers' reaction to having their throats squeezed, which causes the "mouth" of the flower to snap open like a dragon's mouth.
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